In a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus or the like, a floating conveyor configured to convey a glass substrate while floating it is used in some cases.
As an example of the floating conveyor is known the one that is provided with a plurality of gas ejection holes and gas suction holes on the surface of the floating block, and conveys a substrate while floating the substrate from the floating block by adjusting the amount of gas ejected from each of the ejection holes and the amount of gas suctioned by each of the suction holes. The gas ejection amount and suction amount are determined in consideration of the weight of the substrate to be conveyed, the floating distance from the surface of the floating block, and the like. As the size of the substrate increases, a plurality of floating blocks are arranged along the conveying direction of the substrate and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.
There is a case where a treatment liquid is applied to the substrate being conveyed to treat the substrate. Therefore, in order to secure a space for arranging a nozzle or the like for supplying the treatment liquid, the floating blocks are arranged such that adjacent two are spaced apart from each other.
If there is a space between adjacent floating blocks, no floating force exists for the substrate in the space portion. As a result, the leading end of the substrate being conveyed sometimes bends and collides with the floating block. The thinner the substrate is, the more this occurs conspicuously. There may even be a case where the conveyance of the substrate has to be interrupted.